A Single Wish
by yogic-wanderer
Summary: A poor girl goes on a search for the Dragon Balls in a desperate search to help her village and mother, but it goes awry when a witch locks her a Dragon Ball, forced to grant the wish of only one specific person- a Saiyan.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Thief and The Witch**

The cool spring air blew softly down a lush, green valley where a large group of small shacks resided. They were made of mud and clay with hay and weeds weaved together as roofs as well as large pieces of aluminum and metal on some of the homes. This is my village known as Chidori. Cherry blossom petals floated lazily along with the wind, making the poor, desperate place seem like a diamond in the rough. To me, though, the place was beautiful because essentially, it meant 'home'. A home that I was about to leave.

Certainly, it wasn't for my benefit that I was leaving. It was for the benefit of the entire village that I departed on this journey. This village was basically starving in the midst of their poverty, and I was going to get some help for them. I was on a search for the legendary Dragon Balls which, when together, would grant me any three wishes, I believed. That was what my grandmother had told my siblings and I when we were younger. So far, I had one. It was a beautiful golden color, gleaming in the sunlight. One star stared back at me on the surface of the ball. _Only six more to go,_ I thought solemnly as I slung my patchy, itchy bag over my shoulder and left my stuffy house.

"Prana, be careful…" my sickly mother begged as she waved from her bed. She didn't want me to leave, but she also knew that I was the only that could. All of the grown males were needed to hunt and provide repairs, and I was the oldest female without a child.

"Don't worry, mom, have a little faith," I replied, giving her a bright smile.

She nodded as my younger brother, a skinny nine-year-old, dabbed her forehead with a wet clothe. My grin weakening as I slipped through the door, I took a deep breath to settle the butterflies in my stomach.

"Bye!" I called behind me as I set out through the village.

Once I collected all of the Dragon Balls, I would wish that my village would abundantly prosper. I knew that it was somewhat of a vague wish, but hopefully, Shenron would grant it.

I was wearing an old, patched-up gi that had belonged to my mother when she was my age. She was the one who had taught me how to fight, and now, I would be fighting for her because once I had collected the Dragon Balls, I would be able to simply wish her well.

The village was now a small speck behind me as I headed up towards the mountains. The next Dragon Ball would be difficult to find, but I was sure that it wouldn't be too hard. This one was pretty easy. I had been doing some katas in the woods one day, and it had simply caught my eye with it's shiny surface contrasting so greatly with the earthy tones surrounding it.

I looked at the one-starred ball again, entranced by the sheer beauty of it. I was determined that I would find the others, no matter the cost. Trudging up the difficult and rugged terrain, I discovered that the land only escalated from where I stood. I sucked in a deep breath and moved forward, focused and fearless.

I camped in a tight spot of trees, feeling much more secure than sleeping out in the open. It was completely dark, and all I had to eat was bread that I knew was going to go stale in just a few weeks- maybe even days. With a roughness unlike myself, I chewed on the tough bread. I refused to be intimidated by the impending darkness that seemed so ominous around me.

Slowly, I laid my head down and stared up at the stars. Up there somewhere, I saw a falling star, speeding through the night. Silently, I wished for something that could tell me where I would find the remaining Dragon Balls. Also, secretly, as I came to start doing recently, I wished for someone to care about me and someone for me to care about-in a different way than merely my family.

The next day, I trudged uphill again, and once I reached even ground, at around mid-morning, I discovered a dome-like house with smoke curling upward from the chimney. I walked quietly over to the front door, hoping for some help and food. As I knocked on the door, I thought silently about what I should say. However, the stop was in vain because no one answered. Feeling a bit anxious and irritated, I walked over to the narrow window and peeked within. It was filled with the beautiful scent of cooking, and not only that, I saw fruit sitting by the window. _Something other than bread,_ I thought with a regrettable lust.

Another object that caught my eye was a round device with a green grid for a screen like some sort of radar. As I took one of the juicy round apples, I snagged the device as well. I pushed a red button experimentally, and the thing emitted a beep and turned on. My suspicions were correct- it was a radar. For what, though, I couldn't be sure. Taking another big bite of my stolen apple, I stared with confused eyes at the pulsing green screen before me. A yellow dot was in the center, and I wondered what that could mean.

"Who are _you_?" asked a cranky old voice.

Snapping my head up, I beheld a squat old lady with dry, grayish skin and frizzy gray hair. Her brows were furrowed with anger, and she gave off the appearance of a witch. Immediately, being the superstitious villager that I was, I jumped to my feet and dropped the apple, preparing for an escape.

As I swallowed the last bit of my apple, and stammered, "P-Prana… I-I was just hungry…" I did my best to look innocent.

"So you thought that you could take one of _my _apples?" She raised one eyebrow as her eyes fell on the small radar. "_And _my Dragon Radar?"

I took another step back and tripped into the grass. "So that's what this is…" I laughed nervously.

The witch-like lady paused for a second and smiled menacingly. "So, are you looking for the Dragon Balls as well?"

"Y-yeah, I have to help my village. We're very poor."

"I respect your noble reasons, but the way you went about doing it was wrong. So, I'm going to give you a blessing within a curse. I'm going to give you special powers of knowing when a Dragon Ball is near, but I'm going to lock you away in that one-star Dragon Ball that you have. You can come out to grant one wish to the one who's meant to have it," the woman whom I now knew was a witch said these words with a wicked air to her voice, and before I knew it, I was crammed inside the Dragon Ball.

Everything went black, and I couldn't hear my own heartbeat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: **A New Threat

The ship fired through the atmosphere of a new, green, helpless planet called Earth. Four figures were crowded around the controls, excited and wary after long venture through space. Vivid blue eyes sparkled in the darkness. They were a new breed of Saiyans, genetically engineered to be stronger and more ruthless than their original descendents. They were virtually slaves of a powerful emperor who sought to expand his kingdom across the universe.

The four Saiyans were all unique. The youngest among them was immature and skinny compared to the rest. His hair was dark, and his bright blue eyes were intelligent and eager to please. The one that stood out the most was a Saiyan that seemed almost albino. His hair was an electric blond, and his eyes were a frightening blue. The second in command, the co-captain, had a shaved head and narrow blue eyes were downplayed by his prominent cheekbones. The captain stood above them all. He was clearly the strongest and most powerful. His black hair was cropped short, and his blue eyes were intense and full of depth. His angular face showed that he struggled with learning the complicated structures and workings of a ship.

"Ronin, are you okay?" asked the albino-looking Saiyan to the captain.

Ronin let out a bark of a laugh. "Yeah, I'm just sort of getting ready to face this world."

"There's really no need to," the albino said looking towards the island that was rapidly approaching. "We're only there to collect the Dragon Balls, make a few wishes, and obliterate the place. Easy."

Leaning against the control panel of the alien ship, Ronin's focus was intent on the blue-green planet. He had a strange feeling, and it unnerved him. A new feeling dawned on him, one that told him that his life was soon going to change, as they crashed into the earth.

Like most Saiyans, the team of four made it out alive, all of them jumping out of the ship enthusiastically. They were young, ranging in age from sixteen to twenty, and they're mental capacity took quite some time to fully develop which was why they were given such an easy assignment. Ronin knew that one day he was destined to be high ranking in the emperor's army, but the thought didn't seem fulfilling now that he was on this peaceful planet. Regardless of his feelings, though, Ronin would continue with his mission, uninterrupted. As the co-captain, Kisho, pulled out the foreign radar that would tell them of the Dragon Balls' whereabouts, Ronin took a look around the forest that they had virtually demolished.

His intense blue eyes scaled over the landscape, taking in the details. It wasn't completely alien to him. His own planet had been similar. Yet, even there, it wasn't his true home. Through his surrogate parent, he learned that the race from which he had originated had been wiped out, and it was through a single cell that he was derived.

Sunlight streamed through the leaves, bringing forgotten highlights in Ronin's hair to life. Something about this planet drew him in, intoxicating the genetically-altered Saiyan to the point of almost forgetting his mission. The outfit he wore was thin and black, resembling Under Armor. They all wore the same thing, signifying their mere soldier status.

"Alright," Kisho said, standing up from a large, smooth rock. "It seems like the closest Dragon Ball in the area is north, about twenty miles or so."

Ronin took in a sharp breath and replied, "Let's go then, Saiyans."

With an enormous amount of strength and speed, they took off into the sky, blasting themselves towards their goal. The albino, Haku, shielded himself against the sun, unaccustomed to the brilliant rays. Within a matter of minutes- or perhaps seconds- they arrived at a dome-like house, completely devoid of presence.

"Quick, search the place," Ronin commanded the younger Saiyan, Kanaye.

With quick movements, he dove down towards the house. Floating above the area with an authoritative air, Ronin frowned as Kanaye brought forth a single, golden Dragon Ball. Something about that ball brought forth a certain sense that everything wasn't as concrete as he once believed. Vaguely, he wondered if the others felt similarly. It was best, though, not to bring up the subject.

"Hand me that, Kanaye," Ronin demanded, holding out his palm.

Submissively, the young Saiyan gave it to his leader.

"One down, six to go," Haku said triumphantly.

"Where's the next one?" Ronin asked Kisho, avoiding the celebration.

Intently studying the small device in the Saiyan's large palm, Kisho replied, "I don't know. It's too far."

A low growl rumbled in Ronin's chest; he was clearly disappointed though he knew he shouldn't put on a big show about it. Deep in thought, a plan slowly formed in his slightly underdeveloped brain.

Clapping his hands together, Ronin said with a certain satisfaction, "We're going to split up. Kanaye and Haku will both search for one Dragon Ball, while me and Kisho will search for two each. When you've found it, go back to the ship and wait for the rest. This way, it will go much quicker."

It was evident that Kanaye and Haku were unhappy that Ronin held them to a lower standard than himself and the co-captain, but they were obliged to go along with the plan anyway. After all, he was their captain. He could easily just blow them into oblivion.

"So, go back to the ship and get yourselves a radar each," Ronin commanded, but just as they were about to take off, he added, "And don't associate with anyone on this pathetic planet."

"Yes, sir," Kanaye and Haku replied in unison, and they both blasted off towards the ship, Ronin on their tail.

The day was then spent on a persistent hunt through the thick forestry that Ronin searched through. Now that he was alone, he took out the one-starred Dragon Ball. There wasn't anything particularly unique about it- other than the fact that it had merely one star. Yet, an electric pulse ran up and down his arm as he beheld the object. What was with this _thing?_

His day was essentially fruitless, and as he laid himself down to get a good night's rest, he realized that he hadn't had anything to eat for hours. A deep rumble emanated through the night, startling even himself. He was starving, and it certainly didn't help anything that the Dragon Ball next to him was slowly pulsing. Wondering what that was all about, he frowned slightly at the shining bulb. However, his thoughts slowly faded as unconsciousness claimed him.


End file.
